How Sofia Vergara Gets Her Sexy, Sculpted Body

Modern Family star Sofia Vergara is known both on and off the red carpet for her enviable figure, and award season is definitely a time when the actress can shine. Between her glamorous gowns and camera-ready makeup, Vergara always looks the part. But the self-described gym hater also works hard to keep fit. We spoke to her trainer Gunnar Peterson (whose clients have also included Kim Kardashian, Jennifer Lopez, and Angelina Jolie), to learn more about how the star gets award-season ready. Read his tips below.

Make it fun: How does Peterson keep his celebrity clients sticking to their routine? "I try to keep it fun. I try and put a little bit of levity in it, but at the same time, I don’t sacrifice the work. We may goof around and stuff, but we’re definitely going to goof around while we’re working." A boring workout is one you won't want to stick to, so read our tips on how to keep a workout fun.

Whole-body workout: Peterson doesn't like to waste time with isolated moves. Burn more calories and work more of your body at the same time instead. "I don’t do that many isolation movements, like single joint stuff," he says. "I do bigger movements. If we’re going to do a lunge, we’re probably going to add an upper body component to it, like a lunge with a wood chop, a side lunge with a wood chop, or a rear lunge with a lateral raise, or a forward lunge with a front raise." Try it yourself: incorporate this medicine ball wood chop the next time you do lunges, and check out Peterson's cutting-edge double-duty gym equipment here.

Pressed for time: Think you're too busy to exercise? Put it in perspective: you can be done with an effective workout in less than an hour. "Five minutes for a warmup, 30 minutes for a workout, and five minutes for a stretch and a cooldown. By the end, that’s 40 minutes," Peterson says. "You really don't have 40 minutes? The President is far busier than you, Kim Kardashian is far busier than you, and she can make time. It’s about prioritizing." If you just don't have time to devote that much time to a workout every day, it's OK to cut back, says Peterson. Just don't skip out on the warmup in an effort to save time. "I’d rather have you do a short walk and an abbreviated workout than just bag the warmup and get right into the workout because now you’re courting injury, which is going to sideline you [and will] set back your whole fitness goal and program," Peterson says.

A careful diet: Peterson's not one to forbid an indulgence, but he recommends a pretty disciplined diet for best results. He himself usually avoids alcohol and sugar late at night, and recommends that his clients skip carbs later in the day -- especially if they're getting ready for an important event. Peterson recommends cutting out foods like rice, grains, pastas, oatmeal, and potatoes, as well as sodium, since all of these make your body retain water, "which blurs, to a certain degree, definition and muscle separation," he says.